Seal for boxes.



S. WHITEHALL; SEAL r03 BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1909.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

JmmZZr Q1, @WzOM SAMUEL WHITEHALL, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

SEAL FOR BOXES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed November 5, 1909. Serial No. 526,422.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WHITEHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seals for Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to seals for boxes.

One object of the invention is to provide a seal adapted to be disposed within a box so that it may be hidden from view when the cover or lid of the box is closed.

Another object is to provide a seal for boxes that may be confined within the latter so that it will not be subject to or liable to breakage incident to handling or transportation of the box.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion, size and minor details without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :Figure l is a perspective view of a box with the lid partly open showing the application of my seal. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a box illustrating the lid of the box and the seal confined within the box. Fig. 3 is a face view of the seal.

It is common in connection with wire bound boxes to twist the wires after the lid of the box is closed. After twisting the wires, a lead seal is generally applied to the twisted ends. This manner of sealing, however, has been found unsatisfactory, principally for the reason that in handling the box during shipment the seals become knocked off, incident to contact with difierent articles. It is therefore my purpose to obviate the use of these seals, just alluded to, and to provide a seal 1 of paper or other suitable flexible or bendable material and provided the ends thereof with sealing material 2 so that one end may be readily pasted to the underside of the lid 3 at the front edge thereof and its opposite end pasted to the inner face of the front side 4 of the box, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein it will be seen that the seal is associated with the box lid only slightly open.

The seal is preferably creased at both ends along the dotted lines 5, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it will fold upon itself when the lid 3 of the box is closed down on the box proper, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and so that the seal will be completely hidden from view and the box lid sealed against opening without detection, or without knowledge to the consignee that the lid has been surreptitiously opened by an unauthorized person.

In using the present seal, a key-word is written on the seal, as, for instance, the word Mishawaka, which would have no particular significance except as a key-word used by the shipper and duplicated on the shipping bill so that the seal, if destroyed or broken, could not be replaced without detection, for the reason that the written word would have an individuality not easily imitated and would forestall pilferers of pack ages and boxes deriving any advantages by carrying a stock of similar seals for replacing the broken ones after the box has been tampered with. The consignee can compare the key-word with the writing of the like word on the shipping bill and if they do not agree, it will at once show that the seal and package have been tampered with.

As shown in Fig. 1, one end of the seal is glued or pasted to the side of the box on the upper edge thereof and, after the box is filled, the opposite end is glued or pasted to the underside of the lid, thus preventing the lid from being opened sufiiciently to permit the contents of the box being removed without tearing the seal. At the same time, the key-word will be visible by slightly raising the lid after having untwisted the ends of the binding wires 6, and enable the consignee to examine the seal before destroying the same in order to fully open the lid. If before destroying the seal it is noticed that it has been tampered with, the lid may be closed and the carriers attention called thereto in order that the proper claim may be made for missing goods.

It will thus be seen that I provide an inner seal that is fully protected against accidental displacement and that any irregularity or substitution will be conclusive evidence that the box has been tampered with after delivery to the shipper.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A flexible seal comprising a strip for attachment to the inside of the box proper and to the inner side of the lid thereof, said strip being creased intermediate its ends and at its ends on one side provided With adhesive substance, the strip being of a length to enable a partial opening movement of the lid Without tearing the same and which is destroyed as a seal When the lid is completely opened, said strip being concealed Within the box When the lid is closed.

2. The combination with a box including a lid, of a strip secured to the box and to the lid thereof, the strip being of a length to enable a partial opening movement of the lid Without tearing the strip and Which strip is destroyed as a seal only When the lid is operated to permit access to the box, said strip being concealed Within the box when the lid is closed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

SAMUEL WHITEHALL.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH G. ORR,

G. M. COLE. 

